The most decorated Olympian of all time certainly has a boat load of
dedication and steely focus, but he is also a biomechanical freak of nature

Michael Phelps has launched his exit from retirement less than two years after his ‘final swim’ at the London 2012 Olympic Games. At the Arena Grand Prix in Mesa, Arizona on Thursday Phelps finished with the fastest qualifying time in the 100m butterfly, an event for which he still holds the world record. In that evening’s finals, the legendary Olympian was just edged out by long-time rival Ryan Lochte. Nonetheless Phelps's performance showed that he is, indeed, back.

Few people were surprised. Certainly, the man has been openly training since last year and only recently completed the mandatory six-month period on the anti-doping programme that he required to return to competition. But there is another reason that this Olympic legend’s return was written on the wall: Phelps is a man made for the water.

Obviously you don’t get to be the most decorated Olympian of all time without a boat load of dedication and steely focus, but being a biomechanical freak of nature can’t hurt. Phelps has plenty of physiological quirks that give more than a pinch of credence to the swimmer’s nickname ‘The Flying Fish’, the first being his incredible wingspan.

The incredible wingspan

For the average person the total length between outstretched arms from tip to tip is about the same as that person’s height, give or take an inch or two. Phelps’ wingspan however is fully three inches longer than his height. It’s hard to say if this abnormality is the key to success in his signature stroke, the butterfly, but it certainly helped at Beijing in 2008 when Phelps dramatically won the 100m gold by outreaching Serbia’s Milorad Cavic by just a fingertip after an awkward final half-stroke.

Moving down the arms to the elbows, even spectators at Phelps’ events can spot the swimmer’s ability to hyperextend his joints. Hyperextension of the knees and elbows is not uncommon among swimmers in the highest echelons of the sport, especially if they started intensive training from a young age.

What they don’t all have though is Phelps’ size 14 feet attached to extremely flexible (reportedly double-jointed) ankles, working like fins to propel him to gold – not to mention his paddle-like, larger-than-average hands.

On top of all this, former Olympian Mark Tewksbury once revealed that the Baltimore Bullet is double jointed in the chest area, allowing him to kick all the way from the chest rather than from the ribs like other swimmers.

The upper body

Phelps’ remarkable upper body strength comes from a long and powerful torso that is wholly disproportionate to his height. Judging by average proportions, Phelps’ measurements are equal to that of a 6ft 8in man, while his lower body matches that of one under six feet.

A huge torso allows Phelps to sit high in the water, meaning he causes less drag with the bulk of his body. His legs, (comparatively) short and powerful, also help avoid drag and give him a stout and solid kick.

All these structural qualities can contribute to Phelps’ power in the pool, but there is one more physiological trait that gives Phelps a measurable advantage over the men chasing his wake.

The lack of lactic acid

When humans exert themselves physically they produce something called lactic acid, which causes fatigue and slows muscle contraction. For most people, it is necessary to have a rest or a recovery period in order to flush out lactic acid to prepare for another exertion, but not for the Flying Fish.

Phelps has been scientifically proven to produce less than half of the lactic acid of his rivals. As a result, he recovers in just a few minutes, which is how he has managed to win gold after gold in quick succession in the past. This quality, more than any other Phelps posses, incurs the envy of athletes.

Phelps still has a long road ahead if he wants to return to the top of the Olympic podium. He will be over 30 when Rio Games come around, and if the failed return of his former idol Ian Thorpe is any indication, things could all go horribly wrong.

But if you were to ask any of his coaches about what trait has taken Phelps to the top in the past, they won’t tell you it’s his height, his hands, his joints or any of those things. They will tell you it’s his brain.

This is the man who set out to win eight gold medals at Beijing in 2008 and succeeded, and then set out to win more gold medals than anyone ever had at London in 2012 and succeeded.

Out-and-out failures are few and far between in the history of Phelps and this is more down to his work ethic and immense ambition than his physical attributes – though these are likely an added bonus. If he does decide to set his sights on Rio, he should not be underestimated, because if anyone can lump the stuffing out of plausible expectations it’s Phelps.